Sharp Scratch

Learning online

So much learning for medical students has moved online - with varying degrees of success for both teachers and learners. This week we hear some of our listeners' top tips for protecting your wellbeing whilst staying somewhat productive, hear from our resident remote learning expert Andrew, and reflect on the challenges of learning at home.
Listen to the episode of Deep Breath In on teleconsulting with patients: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/teleconsulting-with-trish-greenhalgh-and-fiona-stevenson?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/deep-breath-in
Our contributors:
Catriona McVey is a third year medical student at the University of St Andrews.
Vinay Mandagere is a fourth year medical student at the University of Bristol.
Seb Casalotti is a recent graduate and honorary clinical teaching fellow at UCL medical school , with interests in peer-led learning and resisting Hostile Environment policies in the NHS as a member of Docs Not Cops.

Should you give that casual consultation?

Could you just have a look at...? It's a question lots of medical students and junior doctors encounter from friends and family - rashes, moles and sometimes even haemorrhoids all seem to be fair game to ask about! But what are our ethical (and legal) responsibilities when helping our loved ones? And what about "Good Samaritan" treatment in out of hospital emergencies?
You can read the GMC's guidance Good Medical Practice here: https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance/ethical-guidance-for-doctors/good-medical-practice
Our expert guest;
Dr John Smyth is a registered doctor and former GP with more than 25 years’ clinical experience. He has worked at the GMC in its Fitness to Practise directorate for 14 years where he is Assistant Director of the Case Examiner Team. His work at the GMC has included helping to adapt the fitness to practise processes to be more supportive to vulnerable doctors.

How competitive are you?

The panel are joined by one of Anna's academic heroes to discuss competition in medicine. Whilst we all agree a little friendly rivalry can help us learn, how can we make sure competitiveness doesn't affect our wellbeing as med students and new doctors?
Our expert guest:
Dr Heidi Lempp is a Reader in Medical Sociology at King's College London. Her work around medical students includes discussion of the hidden curriculum of medicine and the study of first in family students.
Here's the paper Ryhan spoke about: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194096#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20competitive%20learning,provide%20a%20pleasant%20classroom%20environment.
Here's Heidi's 2004 paper on the hidden curriculum: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC520997/

Sharp Scratch, talking evidence

This week the Sharp Scratch panel are joined by BMJ podcast veteran Helen Macdonald, one of the hosts of The BMJ's Talk Evidence. We talk evidence based medicine, including getting your head around the fact a yearly health screen might not be the best thing for you...
You can listen to Talk Evidence here: https://www.cebm.net/bmj-talk-evidence-podcast/
To find out more about the Rapid Recommendation series Helen mentions: https://www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i5191

Leaving medicine

This week, the Sharp Scratch team is joined by Dr Fiona Godlee, Editor in Chief of The BMJ to talk about what it's like to leave clinical medicine, and how it can be challenging to lose your medical identity.
Our expert guests
Fi Godlee is the first ever female Editor in Chief of The BMJ.
Mayank Bhandari left medicine at the end of his foundation training to pursue a career in management consultancy.

What med students can learn from a Saturday job

This week the Sharp Scratch team welcome two brand new panel members to talk about interesting jobs outside of medicine, and what we might be able to learn from a crappy Saturday job.
This week's contributors:
Alisha Webb is a third year medical student at Newcastle Medical School, who talks to us this week about a variety of interesting jobs she had before she began studying medicine.
Dr Patrick Lynch is a new graduate of Queen's University Belfast who tells us how playing the church organ helped him develop skills for medicine.

Should a doctor have a tattoo?

**This podcast was recorded before the extraordinary circumstances due to the covid-19 outbreak.**
Following on from our episode on what to wear on the wards, this week the Sharp Scratch team and expert guest take a closer look at the stereotypes around what doctors look like.
This week's expert guest
Dr Devina Maru is a GP specialty registrar in London, who has loved fashion from a young age, having grown up with a grandfather who is a tailor and a cousin who is an international fashion designer. You can follow her on Twitter: @Devina_Maru
To read the BMA's dress code click here. https://archive.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/contracts/consultant-contracts/dress-codes

You’re suddenly a doctor - what does interim FY1 mean

We're joined by Professor Colin Melville from the General Medical Council (GMC) on this slightly unusual episode of Sharp Scratch. We talk about the role of the GMC in regulating new doctors and plans for interim FY1 posts and beyond.
Our expert guest:
Professor Colin Melville is the Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards at the GMC. Colin leads the GMC's regulation of all stages of medical education, having previously worked in senior roles at a number of medical schools. Colin trained as a doctor and worked as a consultant in intensive care medicine before moving into medical education.
The GMC have a new online hub for newly qualified doctors moving into interim FY1 posts https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/provisional-registration

Covid-19

This week on Sharp Scratch, we interrupt our scheduled podcasts to bring you a special bumper episode where we discuss the topic on everyone's minds: covid-19. We hear from medical students and junior doctors who have been disrupted by the pandemic.
Our guests
Chris Smith is a medical student in Southampton and Co-Chair of the BMA's Medical Student's Committee
Stephen Naulls is a brand new doctor and Deputy Chair for Welfare on the BMA Medical Student's Committee
Tanya Ta is another early-graduated new doctor from Norwich Medical School, who has been working on the wards as senior medical student assistant.
Cassandra Baiano is a second year medical student on the ScotGEM graduate entry to medicine programme. Cassandra and her colleague Ronald Macdonald, a first year student on the same programme, have built an app called 'HealthSHIP' that connects up medical students who want to help out with healthcare professionals who need an extra pair of hands.

What to wear on the wards

**This podcast was recorded before the extraordinary circumstances due to the covid-19 outbreak.**
Picking out clothes to wear on the wards is less straightforward than you might think. This week, we talk balancing fashion and function, the perils of noisy shoes, and the best colour shirts to wear if you're a nervous sweater...
This week's expert guest
Dr Devina Maru is a GP specialty registrar in London, who has loved fashion from a young age, having grown up with a grandfather who is a tailor and a cousin who is an international fashion designer. You can follow her on Twitter: @Devina_Maru
To read the BMA's dress code click here. (https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/contracts/consultant-contracts/dress-codes)